Colorado requires dairy products to be regularly tested for bird flu amid outbreak

By Lindsey Toomer

The Colorado Department of Agriculture will now require regular testing of dairy milk as the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza — bird flu — continues to spread throughout the state. 

Commercial cow dairy farms licensed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that are not already under a bird flu-related quarantine will undergo weekly testing of bulk samples. This will include facilities with dairy cattle used to produce milk, butter, pasteurized and other cheeses, frozen desserts, ice cream, dry milk, condensed milk and cottage cheese, among other products for human consumption. 

The state issued the mandate on Monday.

“We have been navigating this challenging, novel outbreak of (bird flu) in dairy operations for nearly three months in Colorado and have not been able to curb the spread of disease at this point,” Dr. Maggie Baldwin, the Colorado state veterinarian, said in a statement. “We have seen devastating impacts of this disease not only to our dairy industry, but our poultry industry as well. With the strong support of the dairy and poultry industries, we feel that this is the best next step in order to protect these vital industries in our state.”

In the last 30 days, 30 cattle herds in Colorado have been affected by the virus, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 39 flocks in Colorado have had a bird flu outbreak, including both poultry and non-poultry. Eight people in Colorado have contracted the virus, the most of any other state in the country. Seven of those people work on poultry farms, while one works on a dairy farm.

Under the mandate, samples collected from farms will be tested at the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and any farm whose dairy produces a non-negative test result for H5N1 will be placed under quarantine. 

The order mandating testing does not have a set expiration date, so state agricultural leaders or the state veterinarian must issue another order to cease testing. Any farms that fail to comply with the requirements of the order will be referred to the Colorado attorney general’s office.

“We appreciate the ongoing cooperation and partnership with both the poultry and dairy industries,” Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg said in a statement. “Mandatory surveillance of highly pathogenic avian influenza across all of Colorado’s Grade A commercial dairies is a critical next step to tamping down the virus and protecting the food system. Ongoing cooperation is key to supporting workers’ health and safety, protecting animal health and welfare, and minimizing the spread of the virus.”

CDPHE says it is safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry products, as the proper handling and cooking of meat and eggs kills viruses. The risk of bird flu to the general public is low and there has not been evidence of the virus spreading from person to person.

Colorado Newsline is part of the States Newsroom, a network of similar news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.